Vending-machine.



PATENTED SEB-11,1908. i

s M s TRoocK -VBNDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 00T. 25, 1,9407.

2 sums-81mm 1.-

l l l l l l l l l l l l l l n a this being a division of myk pending applica Urs-iran' srArEs PATENT onrroE SAMUEL MICHAEL STROOCK, OF PHILAELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORiTO AUTOMATIC INVENTIONS COMPANY, A CORPORATION' OF PENNSYLVANIA.

VENDING-MACHINE No. 897,801. in v Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed March 5,1907, Serial No. 360,675. Dividediand this application filed. October 25, 1907. i

Serial No. 399,163. y

To all whom it may concern'.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL 'MICHAEL STRoooK,'a rresident of Philadelphia, in the countyl of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedv certain newT and useful Implrovements in Vending-Machines; and I do erebyrdeclare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same,

tion.

`The invention relates to vending machines provlded with ma azine chutes for holding 'various articles, as ottles of witchhazel, bay rum, containers for collar buttons, matches,

` vconfections, postage stamps, and other articles of general use.

The object of the invention is to simplify machines of the kind named and cheapen their construction, and increase their-efficiency and durability, and to `secure other advantages.

The invention consists in the construction hereinafter described and particularly pointed out. g

In theaccompanying drawing which illustrates the invention and forms part of the speciiication,-Figure 1 is a vertical section ofthe `machine showing Vthe parts in normal position; Fig. 2 is arear-view of the machine with the back removed;` Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking down; Fig. 4 is a vertical section showing a coin situated between the dispensing lever and the lever-actuating rods; Fig. 5 1s a vertical section taken when the lever-actuating rods have completed their inward movement, the

extrememner and outer situation of the parts being indicated by full and broken ines respectively. Fig. 6 is a perspective of a gravitating pendent shuttercoperating with the article-ejecting or dispensing lever to modify the action of said lever.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a casing preferably formed withthe ends and sides land'l integral with the front 3, and

with its back closed by a plate 4 that has a bottom' late 5 adapted to engage under the casing there being va suitable'lock 6 for holding the 'back inposition. yA lock bolt 7 enters an opening in the top of the casing and cooperates with a dowel8 on the bottom of theA casingv and engages the bottom plate 5 to hold thev back in placej making it possible to remove the machinefrom'its fas.

teningsffi'without unlocking the machinev or destroying it. The front 3 of the casing has one or more coin-receivingopenings 9 and article-discharging openingv or openings 10. In the present instance, a vending machine is illustrated having three magazine chutes 11 that are formed by the sides 2 of the cas.-v ing, and a plurality of spaced partitions 12 extending rearwardll of the front 3,' the c utes being open at the vrear for permitting them to be re-char ed. A clover orfdoor 13 suspended on intle ugsarrest the movement of the article as yit is ejected. Each shutter comprises a body" hinged, pendent or pivotedon rod 17 supported in lugs 18 extending vv from the upper front portion of thecasin'g.` These shutters 16 swing outwardly at their lowery ends vand each has rearwardly extending longitudinal lianges 19, the lower ends of which are formed into lugs 20, asshown'inl Fig. 6, for preventing the articles being discharged from dropping out laterally.- The shut-ters each by gravity resists and partly overcomes the momentum of the discharging lever and the-article to prevent too sudden ejectment, and preferably are made of such weight as to fully arrest entire ejection andvh'old the arratentedsept. 1, ioos.

from the inner surface.

ticle in manner indicated by broken lines in Fig. 5.

To limit the path or movements of each of the dispensing levers or of ytheir respective heads to as short an are as practicable and to one of small curvature, said lever is pivoted at its foot near the botto'mof the `casing and at a point directly belowfthe vertical center of a column-of articles in al magazine chute. It is also provided with a stop pin '24 in' front, and is stopped lbythe 'casing at the f rear, and is so situated and arranged that the head ofsaid lever is normally in contact with yzo ing device.

. l A article Awithout obstruction, and. has also a rounded f ace whereby when .the head is re turned to its rear position the rear end of the superincumbent articles slides easily down to rest upon the side Walls of thechute immediately over the slot 15. ,The forward movement ofthe dis ensing lever is arrested by the pin 24 or the li e before the article has passed entirely out' of the chute.

V Eachof the shutters 16 is pivoted near the top of the casing by preferenceand is pro-l vided at its lowerend with projections 20l `which receive and guide the end of the article.

pushed by the ejector against the body of the shutter. This ,pivoted shutter entends to the lower plane of the article exit and has sufficient length and. leverage -to hold the article against the face of the ejector-head until it is disengaged byhand. By this,

means a fall of the article into a receptaclel such as often provided is avoided.

The dispensing levers 16 are fulcrumed at their lower ends on a shaft 2 1 su )orted in the sides of. the casing a1 lfarehefff in alinement with their respecti e chutes 11 by spacing sleeves on the shaft 21. 4 ends of the levers '16 have forwardly. vevtend'- ing heads 23 `on whichl articles in thechutes 11 are normallyfsupported. Below the head 23 of each lever is a stoppin 24 arranged to engage the front of the casingto arrest the forward or eject-ing movement ofthe lever. Extending laterally from one side of each lever is a lug 25 that co crates with. a coin-V actuated loclring device or holding the lever against actuation except when a coin vis dropped into the machine. This locking device comprises a vpivotally supported hook shaped detent 26 having a depending arm` 27 in the path of the coin employed to operate the dispensing lever associated with the lock- The detents '26 ofthe locking devices are fulcrumed ona horizontal shaft 28 supported by the sidesof the casing, and disposed behind the coin-receivingopenings 9. Back. o-f saidopenings is a horizontally extending guard plate 2Q for guiding the in-` sertion' of the coins.

The coin-actuating means for the dispensing means andlocking 1devices each comprises apair of spaced rods 30. passingthrough openings in the front 3 of the casing, and

connected at their rear or inner ends by a yoke 31, and at their forward ends by a grip or hand hold 32, and carried by the hand hold isa ush-andpull finger or rod 33 that extends t n'ough an opening 34 in the casing front to` engage an abutment 35 on the dis- The upper some1 pensing' lever arranged in line with the ac tuating means. The abutment 35 of each" dispensing lever is a hook shaped projection between which and the adjacent push finger 33 a coin is adapted toenter to act as a medium through whichsaid finger pushes lrearwardly the companion dispensing lever.

The depending arm of each detent 26 is situated inthe path of the pushed coin and l*serves asa key for operating the detent, the

relative osition of the coins to the levers and detents eing as shown in Fig. 2. Arranged below each coin -receiving Iopening 9 are spaced projections 36 onthe'rear side-'of the front 3 which receive the coins and hold them in .o erative relation With the push fingers 33, a utments 35, snd arms 27 of the detents.

.. Each lever 16 extends between the rods 30 of thepush-and-pull device for actuating the same, and the yoke 31 serves to move the adjacent lever 16 forwardly for ejecting the .bottom article of the column heldin the chute. 'The ush-and-pull devices by means of the centra fingers 33, swing the dispensing levers backwardly from' the columns of .articles so that these can move bodily Adownward and 'thereby place the lowermost articles in line with the discharging openings,

allel socket-s 38 into which the outer en sof the' rods 30 and 33 are engaged, the castings being .substantially inthe sha e shown 1n Fig. 3. The inner ends of, t e'socketedI arms 38 ofthe hand holds or grips are adapt.- ed to,strike the front surface of the casing 3 and thus actas stops for limiting the inward movement ofthe push-an'd-pull devices and ofthe dispensing levers operated thereby.

From the foregoing description taken in.

connection with the drawinfrs, the advantages of the constructions and of the method of'operation will be apparent to those vskilled inthe art' to which the invention a'ppertains.4 In operation-themachine is charged by,

first/removing casing A- with the attached parts from the bache, by unlocking the same7 -andf then raising the chute cover 13 so that the chutes can he supplied with the articles, which in the present instance are illustrated as bottles.. f Themachine being thus charged the back is secured in place and the machine is ready for use. applied suitable words or advertising to indicate the articles contained in the chutes. A persondesiring one of the articles, places a coin in an opening 9 below the chute in which the desired article is contained. coin'drops between the inner end of the push :finger 33 below said opening and the adjacent arm 27 of the 'lockinfT device Aand abutment 35 of the dispensing everl..v The grip 32 Onl the shutter 16 maybe The 4isc

60 i zinez' The operation of a means for this purthe-column of articlesin the chute, wherer npon the articles in the chute falltobring the lowermost one Iopposite :th-e.;,dischargeI opening l0. The lever L6 is now in' the full line position shown in Fig. 5, and the coin has been dropped to the bottom of the cas ing. The grip 82 is then pulled .forward to cause the lever Whose head is'engaged behind the lowermost bottle7 to move said bottle through the opening 10,'the bottle coming into engagement with the rshutter which latter is moved to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 5, and retards the ejection of the article or holds it in the opening as shownas determined by the weight of the gravitatmg shutter. The grip 32 can be'actuated by one hand of the-operator,v While the other.y

hand is` held under the discharge opening 10 to take the bottle whileit is thus held or after it has been ejected. During the forward movement of thel lever 16, the luv 25 thereof engages the detent 26 and raises it to ermit vit to dro ybehind said lug to prevent t e dis.

pensing 'kever from being pushed backwardly without first putting a coin into the machine.

The improvement is not limited to coincontrolledvending machines, nor to the par ticular ejecting devices vset forth, nor to other features, except as pointed out.

ln case an ejector stop is employed it may .be carried by the ejector, or be fixed to the casing, and in eithercase it will by preference .be so situated as to stop vthe ejector before it reaches the discharge opening.

The invention-.is adapted to the safe pre# sentation to 'the customer of certain articles requiring protection from the moisture, dust gr germsroi ythe atmos here, and particularly as bottles made of thin glass. he mucilage `of postage stamps exposed to the atmosphere is hable to soften and adhere to stamps or to an inclosure in contact therewith. Certain remedies also deteriorate in such exposure, and contections are injured from the same cause. There practicable it is preerred to inclose articles liable to such injury in bottles or receptacles made of thin' glass for economy of space and material, which receptacles can be sealed with corks. As indicated in the drawings such corks may be' laced to receive the pressure of the ejector head. As thin glass or other receptacles are liable to fracture, means are provided to hold them in the magazine exit in such situation thatA they may be removed without being dropped or shoved entirely out of the magapose is indicated by broken lines in Fig. 5. The invention is not however limited to the particular details of construction, though the avoidance of any preliminary momentum of the means of brea rable rece tacles such BEST AVAILABLE COPY the ej actorl by yits A initial contact Witlnacork ,cl'csing the receptacle :contributes: to freef ,-dom1virom breakage. `It-,is obviousthat. .the advantages set forth would follow, :in partior whollyyinfcase articles-delivered were frangia-4 Efoie reliether-5,0125.:no@contained7 in frangiblerretn ceptacles.' y

Having thus described the invention what lclaim is,-er

l. ln a machine oi the character described, the combination of a magazine having a slotted bottom adapted to support articles contained therein, an ejector to push the lowest article into the magazine exit, `and lmeans to retain the article inthe exit after the ejecting operation of vthe ejector.

j 2;. ln a machine ofthe character described, the combination of a magazine having a slotA .ted"bottom, an ejector, a retarding device.

hav-ing a movement approximately equal to lthe width of the magazine whereby it may the combination of a magazine, an ejector,

l and a pivoted retarding device having proj ec- -tions adapted toembrace the article being ejected at its sides',

'4, In a machine of the character described,

the combination of afslottedmagazine, an

ejector, and a retarding device pivoted` near the top of the magazine andextending to a point adjacent the exit from the magazine slot, said ejector having a movement approximately equal to the width of the magazine and ythe length of articles for which the magazine is adapted and bearing on the end. of the article ejected in opposition to the retarding device to retain the article in said exit. j

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a casing, a slotted magazine, an article-ejector lever movable 1n the slot, and a stop for the forward movement n of the ejector operative While the articleis .held in the magazine exit after the ejecting operation of the ejector, and means to hold the article in said exit until removed at will.

6. In a machine ci the character described, the combination of a casing, aslotted magazine, an article-ejector lever movable in the slot, and astop for the forward movement of the ejector operative while the article is held in the magazine exit7 and means to hold the article in said exit after the ejecting operation of the ejector until removed at will.

7 In a machine of thecharacter described, the combination of a casing, a slotted magazine, andan article ejector having a head and a stop, the head extending from the cas- In testimony whereof, I have signed vthis ing wall to' the plane' of its entrance tothe specification in the'presence of two subscribmagazine, thestop arresting said head before ing Witnesses'.v v it roaches thewopposite sideuor edge of the f SAMUEL MICHAEL STROOCK. 5 magazine, and meginsl to hold the article in. Witnessesthe magazine while the ejector head bears on ISRAEL LIEBERMAN,

said article. FRANK LITTLE. 

